Caris' Precision Oncology Alliance Welcomes The Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center

The Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center joins Caris' extensive network of leading cancer institutions committed to utilizing clinical data to advance patient care and outcomes

IRVING, Texas, Sept. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Caris Life Sciences^®(Caris), the leading molecular science and technology company actively developing and delivering innovative solutions to revolutionize health care, announced today that The Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center (MCWCC) has joined Caris' Precision Oncology Alliance™ (POA). The POA is a growing network of leading cancer centers across the globe that collaborate to advance precision oncology and biomarker-driven research. POA members work together to establish and optimize standards of care for molecular testing through innovative research focused on predictive and prognostic markers that improve the clinical outcomes for cancer patients.

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is the largest private research institution in Wisconsin, assisting communities in advancing health and equity by developing collaborative research and patient care coalitions. The only academic cancer research center in its area, the MCWCC, along with its clinical partners Froedtert Health and Children's Wisconsin, serves a distinct region that includes large, underserved populations of patients who experience significant disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes, as well as face unique cancer problems.

"The MCW Cancer Center is excited to join Caris' Precision Oncology Alliance and partner with other key academic and clinical institutions similarly dedicated to redefining the future of cancer care through research," said Razelle Kurzrock, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of Clinical Research for MCWCC and Genomics Sciences and Precision Medicine Center; Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Endowed Chair of Precision Oncology at MCW. "This partnership exemplifies our mission of working through an equity lens to reduce the cancer burden for all patients in every community in Wisconsin and beyond through transformational cancer and precision oncology research." 

The MCWCC distinguishes itself from other centers through its innovative efforts to solve cancer's toughest challenges, by mobilizing nationally recognized scientists and physicians who draw upon a depth of scientific proficiency, interdisciplinary diversity and clinical expertise, with the latest research-driven treatments and over 200 cancer clinical trials and community driven interventions conducted in collaboration with local, national and global thought leaders and innovators.  

"We're thrilled to welcome the MCW Cancer Center into the growing Caris Precision Oncology Alliance network and look forward to working with them on achieving our common mission of helping patients with cancer," said Chadi Nabhan, M.D., MBA, FACP, Chairman of the Caris Precision Oncology Alliance. "The dedication to precision oncology and innovation that MCW has demonstrated over the years fits well within the POA's overarching vision of transformative research that leads to new opportunities to positively effect cancer patients' lives."

The Caris Precision Oncology Alliance includes 70 cancer centers and academic institutions. These institutions have early access to the extensive database and artificial intelligence platform within Caris to establish evidence-based standards for cancer profiling and advance research in cancer precision medicine. By leveraging the comprehensive genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic profiling available through Caris molecular profiling, Caris seeks to provide this network with the ability to prioritize therapeutic options and determine which clinical trial opportunities may benefit their patients. POA members are also able to integrate with a growing portfolio of biomarker directed trials sponsored by biopharma. Additionally, as a member of the POA, institutions have access to Caris CODEai™, the most comprehensive data solution in the industry with cancer treatment information and clinical outcomes data for over 275,000 patients covering over 1 million data points per patient.

Caris Life Sciences^® (Caris) is the leading molecular science and technology company actively developing and delivering innovative solutions to revolutionize healthcare and improve patient outcomes. Through comprehensive molecular profiling (Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing) and the application of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms, Caris has created the large-scale clinico-genomic database and cognitive computing needed to analyze and unravel the molecular complexity of disease. This information provides an unmatched resource and the ideal path forward to conduct the basic, fundamental research to accelerate discovery for detection, diagnosis, monitoring, therapy selection and drug development to improve the human condition.

With a primary focus on cancer, Caris' suite of market-leading molecular profiling offerings assesses DNA, RNA and proteins to reveal a molecular blueprint that helps patients, physicians and researchers better detect, diagnose and treat patients. Caris' latest advancement is a blood-based, circulating nucleic acids sequencing (cNAS) assay that combines comprehensive molecular analysis (Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing from blood) and serial monitoring – making it the most powerful liquid biopsy assay ever developed.

Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris has offices in Phoenix, New York, Denver, Tokyo, Japan and Basel, Switzerland. Caris provides services throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and other international markets. To learn more, please visit CarisLifeSciences.com or follow us on Twitter (@CarisLS).

With a history dating back to 1893, the Medical College of Wisconsin is dedicated to leadership and excellence in education, patient care, research and community engagement. More than 1,500 students are enrolled in MCW's medical school and graduate school programs in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Central Wisconsin. MCW's School of Pharmacy opened in 2017. A major national research center, MCW is the largest research institution in the Milwaukee metro area and second largest in Wisconsin. In the last ten years, faculty received more than $1.6 billion in external support for research, teaching, training and related purposes. This total includes highly competitive research and training awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Annually, MCW faculty direct or collaborate on more than 3,100 research studies, including clinical trials. Additionally, more than 1,650 physicians provide care in virtually every specialty of medicine for more than 4 million patients annually.

Caris Life Sciences Media Contact:
Lisa Burgner
[email protected]
469-822-9330

Medical College of Wisconsin Media Contact:
Holly Botsford
Director, Marketing Communications, External and Digital Engagement
[email protected]
414-688-7960

SOURCE Caris Life Sciences